Friends of NASA (FoN) is an independent non-governmental organization (NGO) dedicated to building international support for peaceful space exploration, commerce, scientific discovery, and STEM education.
Applying to be a NASA Astronaut: U.S. Citizens | Johnson Space Center
NASA is seeking a new generation of space explorers to journey beyond. Do you think you have what it takes to join NASA’s next astronaut class? Visit: https://www.NASA.gov/astronauts
Applications are open from March 5 through April 2, 2024.
The Universe is Calling: Apply to Be a NASA Astronaut
Narrator Morgan Freeman: "We’re recruiting for our next class of NASA astronauts. Selected candidates could fly on Artemis missions to the Moon and, eventually, Mars. Will you be one of them?"
Applications are open for American citizens from March 5 through April 2, 2024. Read the requirements and start your application by visiting:
Don't think you have what it takes? There's no such thing as a typical astronaut. We’re seeking out team players, passionate people, candidates who thrive under pressure and excel in what they do.
Survey Reveals Secrets of Planet Birth around Dozens of Stars | ESO
In a series of studies, a team of astronomers has shed new light on the fascinating and complex process of planet formation. The stunning images, captured using the European Southern Observatory's Very Large Telescope (ESO’s VLT) in Chile, represent one of the largest ever surveys of planet-forming discs. The research brings together observations of more than 80 young stars that might have planets forming around them, providing astronomers with a wealth of data and unique insights into how planets arise in different regions of our galaxy. This video summarizes the discovery.
Credits: European Southern Observatory (ESO)
Directed by: Angelos Tsaousis and Martin Wallner
Editing: Angelos Tsaousis
Web and technical support: Gurvan Bazin and Raquel Yumi Shida
Written by: Tom Howarth and Pamela Freeman
Footage and photos: ESO / Luis Calçada, Martin Kornmesser, Angelos Tsaousis, Cristoph Malin (christophmalin.com), ALMA (ESO/NAOJ/NRAO)/L. Cieza, F. Kamphues, C. Ginski, A. Garufi, P.-G. Valegård et al.
Scientific consultant: Paola Amico, Mariya Lyubenova
Welcoming NASA's SpaceX Crew-8 After Docking | International Space Station
Welcoming Ceremony at 13 minute mark!
NASA astronauts Matthew Dominick, Michael Barratt, and Jeanette Epps, along with Roscosmos cosmonaut Alexander Grebenkin of Russia, arrived at the International Space Station when their Dragon spacecraft autonomously docked to the forward-facing port of the Harmony module at 2:28 a.m. Eastern Standard Time on March 5 following a launch on March 3 on the Endeavour spacecraft aboard a Falcon 9 rocket from Launch Complex 39A at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida.
Following docking, the quartet opened the hatch and floated onboard the orbital outpost before providing welcoming remarks as its mission aboard the space station began. The four crew members will conduct a long-duration science mission living and working aboard the microgravity laboratory to advance scientific knowledge and demonstrate new technologies for future human and robotic exploration missions. Such research benefits people on Earth and lays the groundwork for future human exploration through the agency’s Artemis missions, which will send astronauts to the Moon to prepare for future expeditions to Mars.
An international partnership of space agencies provides and operates the elements of the International Space Station (ISS). The principals are the space agencies of the United States, Russia, Europe, Japan, and Canada. The ISS has been the most politically complex space exploration program ever undertaken.
NASA's SpaceX Crew-8 Arrival | International Space Station
The hatch of SpaceX’s Crew-8 “Endeavour” Crew Dragon spacecraft, with NASA astronauts Matthew Dominick, Michael Barratt, Jeanette Epps and Roscosmos cosmonaut Alexander Grebenkin of Russia, was opened on March 5, 2024, at 3:50am EST. Crew-8 is SpaceX’s eight operational mission for NASA’s Commercial Crew Program.
Crew-8 joins the International Space Station’s Expedition 70 crew of NASA astronauts Jasmin Moghbeli and Loral O’Hara, European Space Agency (ESA) astronaut Andreas Mogensen of Denmark, Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) astronaut Satoshi Furukawa, and Roscosmos cosmonauts Konstantin Borisov, Oleg Kononenko, and Nikolai Chub of Russia.
An international partnership of space agencies provides and operates the elements of the International Space Station (ISS). The principals are the space agencies of the United States, Russia, Europe, Japan, and Canada. The ISS has been the most politically complex space exploration program ever undertaken.
NASA Astronaut Michael Barratt is the pilot of NASA’s SpaceX Crew-8 mission. This will be Barratt’s third trip to the International Space Station. In 2009, Barratt served as a flight engineer for Expeditions 19 and 20 as the station transitioned its standard crew complement from three to six, and performed two spacewalks. He flew aboard the space shuttle Discovery in 2011 on STS-133, which delivered the Permanent Multipurpose Module and fourth Express Logistics Carrier. He has spent a total of 212 days in space.
Born in Vancouver, Washington, he Considers Camas, Washington, to be his hometown. Barratt earned a bachelor’s in zoology from the University of Washington, Seattle, and a doctor of medicine from Northwestern University in Chicago, Illinois. He completed residencies in internal medicine at Northwestern and aerospace medicine along with a master’s degree at Wright State University in Dayton, Ohio. After nine years as a NASA flight surgeon and project physician, Barratt joined the astronaut corps in 2000.
For over 23 years, humans have lived and worked continuously aboard the International Space Station, advancing scientific knowledge and demonstrating new technologies, making research breakthroughs not possible on Earth. As a global endeavor, more than 244 people from 19 countries have visited the unique microgravity laboratory that has hosted more than 3,000 research and educational investigations from researchers in 108 countries and areas.
The station is a critical testbed for NASA to understand and overcome the challenges of long-duration spaceflight and to expand commercial opportunities in low Earth orbit. As commercial companies focus on providing human space transportation services and destinations as part of a robust low Earth orbit economy, NASA is able to more fully focus its resources on deep space missions to the Moon and Mars.
Find more information on NASA’s Commercial Crew Program at:
Meet NASA Astronaut Matthew Dominick, Crew-8 Commander
NASA astronaut Matthew Dominick is the commander of NASA’s SpaceX Crew-8 mission. This is the first spaceflight for Dominick, who became a NASA astronaut in 2017. He is from Wheat Ridge, Colorado, and earned a bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering from the University of San Diego, California, and a master’s in systems engineering from the Naval Postgraduate School in Monterey, California. He is an active-duty U.S. Navy astronaut. He graduated from the U.S. Naval Test Pilot School in Patuxent River, Maryland, and then served as a test pilot specializing in testing landing on and catapult launches from U.S. Navy aircraft carriers.
For over 23 years, humans have lived and worked continuously aboard the International Space Station, advancing scientific knowledge and demonstrating new technologies, making research breakthroughs not possible on Earth. As a global endeavor, more than 244 people from 19 countries have visited the unique microgravity laboratory that has hosted more than 3,000 research and educational investigations from researchers in 108 countries and areas.
The station is a critical testbed for NASA to understand and overcome the challenges of long-duration spaceflight and to expand commercial opportunities in low Earth orbit. As commercial companies focus on providing human space transportation services and destinations as part of a robust low Earth orbit economy, NASA is able to more fully focus its resources on deep space missions to the Moon and Mars.
Find more information on NASA’s Commercial Crew Program at:
Meet Roscosmos Cosmonaut Alexander Grebenkin (Russia), Crew-8 Mission Specialist
Roscosmos Cosmonaut Alexander Grebenkin is a mission specialist for NASA’s SpaceX Crew-8 mission. Grebenkin, who graduated from Irkutsk High Military Aviation School, Irkutsk, Russia, majoring in engineering, maintenance, and repair of aircraft radio navigation system. He is also flying on his first mission. He graduated from Moscow Technical University of Communications and Informatics with a degree in radio communications, broadcasting, and television.
An international partnership of space agencies provides and operates the elements of the International Space Station (ISS). The principals are the space agencies of the United States, Russia, Europe, Japan, and Canada. The ISS has been the most politically complex space exploration program ever undertaken.
NASA’s SpaceX Crew-8 Launch Pad Departure | Kennedy Space Center
NASA’s SpaceX Crew-8 crew members right to left, NASA astronauts Jeanette Epps, Matthew Dominick, and Michael Barratt, and Roscosmos cosmonaut Alexander Grebenkin wearing SpaceX spacesuits, are seen as they prepare to depart the Neil A. Armstrong Operations and Checkout Building at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida for Launch Complex 39A to board the SpaceX Crew Dragon spacecraft for the Crew-8 mission launch Sunday, March 3, 2024.
After suit-up and final fit checks, NASA’s SpaceX Crew-8 astronauts participate in a traditional game of cards inside the Neil A. Armstrong Operations and Checkout Building
NASA astronauts Matthew Dominick and Michael Barratt speak with family and friends as they prepare to depart the Neil A. Armstrong Operations and Checkout Building
Roscosmos cosmonaut Alexander Grebenkin of Russia, plus NASA astronauts Jeanette Epps, Matthew Dominick, and Michael Barratt, speak with family and friends as they prepare to depart the Neil A. Armstrong Operations and Checkout Building
NASA’s SpaceX Crew-8 astronauts from right to left NASA astronauts Jeanette Epps, Matthew Dominick, and Michael Barratt, and Roscosmos cosmonaut Alexander Grebenkin of Russia smile and wave inside a Dragon spacecraft at Launch Complex 39A at Kennedy Space Center in Florida ahead of liftoff
NASA's SpaceX Crew-8 crewmates Matthew Dominick, Michael Barratt, and Jeanette Epps, and Roscosmos cosmonaut Alexander Grebenkin of Russia take their first steps outside from the Neil A. Armstrong Operations and Checkout Building to head to Space Launch Complex 39A at Kennedy Space Center in Florida prior to liftoff to the International Space Station at 10:53 p.m. EST Sunday, March 3, 2024.
An international partnership of space agencies provides and operates the elements of the International Space Station (ISS). The principals are the space agencies of the United States, Russia, Europe, Japan, and Canada. The ISS has been the most politically complex space exploration program ever undertaken.
Meet NASA Astronaut Jeanette Epps: Crew-8 Mission Specialist
NASA astronaut Jeanette Epps is a mission specialist for NASA’s SpaceX Crew-8 mission. This will be Epps’ first trip to the International Space Station. She is from Syracuse, New York, and earned a bachelor’s in physics from LeMoyne College in Syracuse, New York, and a master’s in science and a doctorate in aerospace engineering from the University of Maryland, College Park. Prior to joining NASA, she worked at Ford Motor Company. She was selected as an astronaut in July 2009, and has served on the Generic Joint Operation Panel working on space station crew efficiency, as a crew support astronaut for two expeditions, and as lead capsule communicator in the Mission Control Center at NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston. Epps previously was assigned to NASA’s Boeing Starliner-1 mission. NASA reassigned Epps to allow Boeing time to complete development of Starliner while also continuing plans for astronauts to gain spaceflight experience for future mission needs.
For over 23 years, humans have lived and worked continuously aboard the International Space Station, advancing scientific knowledge and demonstrating new technologies, making research breakthroughs not possible on Earth. As a global endeavor, more than 244 people from 19 countries have visited the unique microgravity laboratory that has hosted more than 3,000 research and educational investigations from researchers in 108 countries and areas.
The station is a critical testbed for NASA to understand and overcome the challenges of long-duration spaceflight and to expand commercial opportunities in low Earth orbit. As commercial companies focus on providing human space transportation services and destinations as part of a robust low Earth orbit economy, NASA is able to more fully focus its resources on deep space missions to the Moon and Mars.
Find more information on NASA’s Commercial Crew Program at:
NASA’s SpaceX Crew-8 Mission Overview | International Space Station
NASA’s SpaceX Crew-8 mission is bringing NASA astronauts Matthew Dominick, Michael Barratt, Jeanette Epps, and Alexander Grebenkin of Roscosmos (Russia) to the International Space Station.
The SpaceX Crew-8 mission lifted off aboard the Dragon “Endeavour” spacecraft at 10:53 p.m. EST on Sunday from Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The Commercial Crew quartet is taking a 28-hour automated ride aboard Endeavour and will dock to the International Space Station Harmony module’s forward port at 3 a.m. on Tuesday, March 5, 2024.
An international partnership of space agencies provides and operates the elements of the International Space Station (ISS). The principals are the space agencies of the United States, Russia, Europe, Japan, and Canada. The ISS has been the most politically complex space exploration program ever undertaken.
GN-z11: One of the Most Distant Galaxies Ever Seen | James Webb Space Telescope
Looking deep into space and time, two teams using the NASA/European Space Agency/Canadian Space Agency James Webb Space Telescope have studied the exceptionally luminous galaxy GN-z11 that existed when our 13.8 billion-year-old Universe was only about 430 million years old.
Delivering on its promise to transform our understanding of the early Universe, the James Webb Space Telescope is probing galaxies near the dawn of time. One of these is the exceptionally luminous galaxy GN-z11, which existed when the Universe was just a tiny fraction of its current age. Initially detected with the NASA/European Space Agency Hubble Space Telescope, it is one of the youngest and most distant galaxies ever observed, and it is also one of the most enigmatic. Why is it so bright? Webb appears to have found the answer.
A team studying GN-z11 with Webb found the first clear evidence that the galaxy is hosting a central, supermassive black hole that is rapidly accreting matter. Their finding makes this the most distant active supermassive black hole spotted to date.
Image Credit: NASA, ESA, CSA, B. Robertson (UC Santa Cruz), B. Johnson (CfA), S. Tacchella (Cambridge), M. Rieke (University of Arizona), D. Eisenstein (CfA)
Launch of NASA’s SpaceX Crew-8 Mission | Kennedy Space Center
A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket carrying the company's Dragon spacecraft launched NASA’s SpaceX Crew-8 mission to the International Space Station with NASA astronauts Matthew Dominick, Michael Barratt, and Jeanette Epps, and Roscosmos cosmonaut Alexander Grebenkin of Russia onboard, Sunday, March 3, 2024, at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida.
An exhaust plume from SpaceX's Falcon 9 rocket
The first stage of the SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket returned to Landing Zone 1, Cape Canaveral, Florida on Sunday, March 3, 2024.
A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket carrying the company's Dragon spacecraft launched NASA’s SpaceX Crew-8 mission to the International Space Station with NASA astronauts Matthew Dominick, Michael Barratt, and Jeanette Epps, and Roscosmos cosmonaut Alexander Grebenkin aboard at 10:53 p.m. EST on Sunday, March 3, 2024, from NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida.
NASA’s SpaceX Crew-8 mission is the eighth crew rotation mission with SpaceX to the International Space Station, and the ninth flight of Dragon with people as part of the agency’s Commercial Crew Program.
An international partnership of space agencies provides and operates the elements of the International Space Station (ISS). The principals are the space agencies of the United States, Russia, Europe, Japan, and Canada. The ISS has been the most politically complex space exploration program ever undertaken.
After boosting a SpaceX Dragon spacecraft on its way to the International Space Station with Crew-8 NASA astronauts Matthew Dominick, Michael Barratt, and Jeanette Epps, and Roscosmos cosmonaut Alexander Grebenkin of Russia, the first stage of the Falcon 9 rocket returned to Landing Zone 1 at Cape Canaveral in Florida on Sunday, March 3, 2024.
An international partnership of space agencies provides and operates the elements of the International Space Station (ISS). The principals are the space agencies of the United States, Russia, Europe, Japan, and Canada. The ISS has been the most politically complex space exploration program ever undertaken.
Video Credit: NASA/Space Exploration Technologies Corporation (SpaceX)
NASA’s SpaceX Crew-8 Mission: Launch Highlights | Kennedy Space Center
NASA's SpaceX Crew 8 NASA astronauts Matthew Dominick, Michael Barratt, and Jeanette Epps, plus Roscosmos cosmonaut Alexander Grebenkin of Russia, launched on a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket from Space Launch Complex 39A aboard a SpaceX Dragon spacecraft at Kennedy Space Center in Florida on Sunday, March 3, 2024.
An international partnership of space agencies provides and operates the elements of the International Space Station (ISS). The principals are the space agencies of the United States, Russia, Europe, Japan, and Canada. The ISS has been the most politically complex space exploration program ever undertaken.
